Hokage: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 93: What If the Fish You Caught Is Too Big?

In the underground deep well of the Root base, Danzo's face was filled with anger and murderous intent as he saw the elite Root ninjas he had carefully cultivated lying dead in pools of blood. However, his expression shifted when he saw the culprit, Hagoromo Gengetsu, casually strolling as if on a leisurely outing, unaffected by the carnage.

Danzo's pupils narrowed slightly. He was well aware of the strength of Root ninjas. Even elite jōnin like Kakashi Hatake could not have killed so many without sustaining any injuries themselves.

"Who exactly are you?" Danzo repeated, his voice tinged with frustration as he looked at Hagoromo Gengetsu, who was still wearing Souke's face.

"Who am I?" Hagoromo Gengetsu stopped and, now that most of his prey was caught, took his time. He first touched his face and then raised an eyebrow, "I almost forgot, I'm still wearing this face."

"Since you’re so intent on knowing who I am, let me show you."

With a faint smile, Hagoromo Gengetsu lifted his right hand and swiped it across his face. In the next moment, a younger but more imposing face emerged before them.

“Hagoromo Gengetsu!” Torune Aburame, his emotions in turmoil, identified the intruder with a tremor in his voice, and his insects swarmed uncontrollably.

Danzo's hand tightened around his cane, causing it to crack. This was the infamous Hagoromo Gengetsu, a figure feared, cursed, and hated throughout the ninja world. Danzo was unable to maintain his composure, shocked that the fish he had caught was so massive.

Feeling an unprecedented threat, Danzo stiffened, instinctively preparing for a fierce battle, signaling his Root members to get ready. However, he maintained a facade of calm, asking coldly, “Hagoromo Gengetsu! You have breached the Root base and killed Root ninjas. Are you planning to go to war with the Leaf Village?”

“War? Don’t make such a serious term sound so trivial,” Hagoromo Gengetsu chuckled and shook his head. “Real war isn’t like this.”

He glanced around at the bodies of Root ninjas scattered on the ground and shrugged, “To me, this is just a one-sided massacre.”

Bang!

Danzo could no longer contain his rage and crushed the tip of his cane. His face darkened as he declared, “Arrogant! Hagoromo Gengetsu! This is no longer your era! You will regret your actions today for daring to intrude into the Root base!”

“Attack!!!”

With Danzo's command, all the Root ninjas present, despite knowing they were facing the renowned Hagoromo Gengetsu, charged at him without hesitation. Danzo stood his ground, knowing his subordinates could only serve to delay the inevitable. He unwrapped the bandages from his right arm and removed the sealing vials.

For Root and the Leaf, even if it meant losing many subordinates, he had to capture Hagoromo Gengetsu, a highly dangerous individual, today. Then, he would resolve the Leaf’s crisis and uncover Hagoromo Gengetsu’s secrets.

Clang!

The golden sealing vials fell heavily to the ground. Danzo, feeling the immense power from his arm and touching his still-bound precious right eye, looked at Hagoromo Gengetsu with a cold, glinting gaze.

“Earth Release: Rock Rain!”

“Earth Release: Earth Flow River!”

“Lightning Release: Sixteen Pillars Binding Technique!”

The Root ninjas, aware of Hagoromo Gengetsu's affinity with the Dark Release, used more substantial and supportive techniques. Despite this, their attacks were ineffective.

Unaware that Danzo was formulating his own plan, Hagoromo Gengetsu casually punched through a wall of earth, causing fragments to shoot out. One such fragment struck a Root ninja's forehead, piercing his brain and creating a gaping wound.

“Genjutsu: Hellfire!”

Suddenly, fierce flames erupted from beneath Hagoromo Gengetsu, engulfing most of his body. Without feeling any pain, Hagoromo Gengetsu calmly observed the flames and then turned to a nearby Root ninja, stating, “It’s still lacking a bit.”

With that, the flames around Hagoromo Gengetsu vanished, and the Root ninja suddenly began to writhe uncontrollably, collapsing within moments.

Genjutsu was effective against those with imperfect souls. But its effectiveness depended on the practitioner. The same genjutsu from an ordinary ninja and Uchiha Itachi was vastly different.

As Hagoromo Gengetsu casually broke the neck of another Root ninja attempting to block him, he observed Danzo, who was protected by his subordinates and working on his right arm. With Danzo present, the Root ninjas would continue to come, making it easier for Hagoromo Gengetsu to achieve his goal of completely annihilating Root.

So Hagoromo Gengetsu remained unhurried. However, Root members were not weeds; they wouldn’t just disappear. Checking the number of bodies on the ground, he decided to accelerate his pace.

Just then, a purple figure rushed towards him. Hagoromo Gengetsu was about to strike when he suddenly sensed something, quickly evading.

“Such a pity,” Torune Aburame, now in his special poisonous form, lamented as Hagoromo Gengetsu avoided contact. Unlike other members of his clan, his body harbored nanoscopic poisonous insects. While he himself was immune, anyone coming into contact with him would be infected and die as the toxin destroyed their cells.

Even Hagoromo Gengetsu, renowned as he was, wouldn’t be an exception. But Hagoromo Gengetsu’s sharp senses had detected and avoided the poison.

“Special poisonous insects of the Aburame clan? They can even make me feel threatened.”

Hagoromo Gengetsu looked at Torune with surprise. However, knowing the opponent's characteristics made dealing with them much easier.